Welp, there goes our power. Why yes, it is 18F and snow is blowing sideways.

#pdxtst #snowpocalypse2024 #damnit #FarSW #PDX

Really glad I just finished making breakfast and a tea latte.

I think we’re getting a mix of snow and ice.

Folks who laugh at #Portland completely losing all coherence during a winter storm event fail to understand that it is rarely _just snow_. We get snow, ice, and often a little warmth to turn it to inches of solid ice. If it were snow alone it wouldn’t be as bad.

We also don’t have a large fleet of plows because it wouldn’t be financially sustainable to maintain vehicles that maybe will get used for one event a year. Combine that with a very hilly metro area and tons of trees and you get a #Snowpocolypse.

I grew up here and every once in a while a serious winter storm shut everything down for days on end. I can recall one winter as a kid where we were without power for over a week. It was wretched.

#PDX #FarSW #snowpocalypse2024 #snowmaggedon #pdxtst #pdxmst

Our power is back (for the moment). Wind is gusting up to 44MPH and instead of snow we’ve got ice pellets.

Two large trees are down, blocking the main road serving our neighborhood. The stand of trees is now precarious AF, could take it several lines if another tree falls. I’ve called it in to the bureau of transportation and they’ve dispatched an emergency arborist.

For now power lines are ok, but the trees in the small stand at the left of the picture are now shallowly rooted in soil that’s already seen one tree uprooted.

#PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood #pdxtst #WinterStormHeather #snowpocalypse2024 #snowmageddon

Power is out again, right as we were trying to get dinner started. It’s not affecting a friend who lives close by, could be related to the other half of our neighborhood that’s been without since Saturday.

There’s folks with work lights set up in our front yard and someone on a pole. Hoping this might indicate we won’t be out for long. So tempting to go ask them what’s up!

#PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood #pdxtst

Our power came back on around bedtime. Hopefully we stay up. Comcast has been down since Saturday. There’s a cable down on the road. We luckily changed to fiber at the beginning of the year, we may be the only people in the neighborhood who have internet access.

Ice storm inbound in 40 minutes. We are well supplied and have batteries charged. I’m going to turn on the electric blanket to keep the bed warm, just in case we lose power.

#pdxtst #PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood #TheIceStormCometh #BattenDownTheHatches

Contrary to weather app opinion that the storm would arrive with heavy snow, the ā€œTk, tk, tk.ā€ on the windows announces that the ice storm has landed. Both cars are already encased in a thin layer of ice.

I got more de-icer salt down on our front steps, out to the cars, and the path to the bins for trash, compost, and recycling. Hopefully I’ll be able to break through the ice & snow combination since there’s salt out now.

#pdxtst #PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood #TheIceStormCometh #BattenDownTheHatches

While our steps are cleared of ice the slope of the driveway could be used by a bobsled team. In theory the trash will be collected in the morning so I made like a hockey player, checked the bins with my ā€œless badā€ shoulder to free them from the ice, and dragged them to the curb.

I’m grateful for the YakTrax gifted to me a few years ago by @akf. They keep me upright on the ice every winter!

#pdxtst #PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood

Made out to knee PT. Returned home to ice forming rapidly on branches and our power out. Because it’s been raining sideways since the wee hours the screen in our one east-facing window is nearly solid ice.

#pdxtst #PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood #TheIceStormCometh #PartTwoTheRevenge #BattenDownTheHatches #Again

Power is back! We’re making sure to get the house warm in case it goes out again.

#pdxtst #PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood #TheIceStormCometh #PartTwoTheRevenge #BattenDownTheHatches #Again

The tree I’ve worried about all week has come down onto the transformer on a pole in our front yard. The transformer blew out, igniting both it and the tree. Embers are blowing down the street, occasionally into our house.

Do not like. No stars.

#WhatFreshHellIsThis #pdxtst #PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood #TheIceStormCometh #PartTwoTheRevenge #BattenDownTheHatches #Again

Am emergency vehicle just arrived.

Thanks for all the concern. I’m surprised it’s taken 20 minutes for my first high heart rate alarm.

@PDXyogini So do you still have power or was that your transformer?
@enobacon it took out everything east of 62nd. Another has blown, taking it the street 1 block north. We still have power and fiber, amazingly.

And there goes our power at last. At least the fire went out. This is fine.

#WhatFreshHellIsThis #pdxtst #PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood #TheIceStormCometh #PartTwoTheRevenge #BattenDownTheHatches #Again

Power is still out. I sent the yoga class cancellation message I queued up yesterday, just in case. Ursa has burrowed between blanket layers on the bed after his breakfast.

#pdxtst #PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood #TheIceStormCometh #PartTwoTheRevenge #Brrr #CatsOfMastodon #cat

Still no power. Really grateful it’s not 18F like it was last weekend. 37F is still damn cold, but it could be worse. We also still have hot water since the water heater is natural gas! Everyone is finding ways to keep warm.

We been excited to see big trucks from arborists or power company pass our house, but they’ve not yet stopped to the particular tree fiasco in our front yard. Then we remembered that no one can drive up the main road through the larger neighborhood, all traffic has to loop through our neighborhood because of the trees.

#pdxtst #PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood #TheIceStormCometh #PartTwoTheRevenge #dog #DogsOfMastodon

We have power once more! I opened the east window and yelled thanks to the crew still working on things. It’s not back for our neighbors just north of us, but a neighbor to the east side confirmed they have power as well.

#pdxtst #PDX #FarSW #AshcreekNeighborhood #TheIceStormCometh #PartTwoTheRevenge

@PDXyogini Ugh -- Snuggle up with your pup and some lentil soup! We all have anxiety here when the temps dip due to the crushing '21 failure of the TX power grid .
@babadeuce another thing to be grateful for! Oregon power companies seem to care if people die during extreme weather events.

Saturday ā€œFight Cuddlesā€ with Ursa Minor.

#cat #CatsOfMastodon #caturday

@PDXyogini Yuck! So frustrating.

@opalmirror it’s officially entered fiasco territory! I’m grateful word finally made it to the neighbors down the hill who parked a Prius at the corner where the tree came down. They got up here and moved it back earlier today.

I’ve got the vintage gas fireplace on at the moment. Not sure I’ll leave it going, but will let it go for a bit while I do some dishes. Benefits of being a night owl.

@PDXyogini I was wondering how you were doing. This is not the update I was hoping to see!
@PDXyogini god that sucks. I am sorry. I hope it is the least bad shitshow it can be?
@PDXyogini hot damn. You win the ice storm challenge.
@amye 🤣 Crappiest contest ever!
@PDXyogini Yikes!! Good luck. Hope it gets solved quickly for you. Stay safe.
@PDXyogini I'm glad they're helping you stay safe!

@akf they are the best! šŸ’–

I recommend them to people every winter. I mentioned to my fall prevention class today.

@PDXyogini @akf Absolutely picking some up for myself before next winter.

@PDXyogini I love the snow. It’s the wind that’s incredibly annoying and disruptive. One neighbor’s chimney cover blew off, another’s truck bed cover flew off and wound up in front of their driveway and 1/4 of another neighbor’s backyard fence blew off and landed in the street. I’m sure there’s more destruction I haven’t seen; It’s crazy.

#PDX #portland

@ZeroDrek the wind is why there are trees are down. Not enough ice or snow on them to take them out.
@PDXyogini sending you good thoughts
@PDXyogini Neighborhood?
@mikemccaffrey Ashcreek, a friend a little further north off Barbur is out too.
@PDXyogini Oh no. I hope they're able to get the power fixed asap, and y'all are able to stay as warm as possible.
@PDXyogini hilariously, reporting an outage is taking forever.
We're good over here in SE: gas fireplace, stovetop and generator if it gets really bad.
@amye we do not have a generator. Do have the ā€œvintageā€ gas fireplace and a gas range.
@PDXyogini The generator is something of a last resort here but after 2020, we decided not to chance it.